Mystery Monday

Today we have a bit of a puzzlement. (Nothing new there I know.) This is an unknown couple, surprise, surprise. Obviously there is a man on the right and a woman on the left and there is a possiblity of a great age difference considering his hair is 100% snow white and she doesn't appear to have a touch of gray or a wrinkle anywhere to be seen. Not necessarily accurate since everybody balds, wrinkles and grays in their own time. Here is where it gets a little tricky. Since you can't see their entire outfits nor is there a background you haven't very much go to on. Let's break it down a little more.

Men's fashion hasn't changed much over the course of time and there is very little you can tell about him. You can't see his collar or tie due to the beard. He is wearing a vest but that doesn't mean much as men still wear them today. In going through an old book I have on Ottawa & Sandusky counties the beard he has seems to be rather popular for men in the late 1880's that are about 60 or over. They appeared on men born as early as 1804 so really any older man in the late 1880's appeared to like the style. He pretty much offers no clues. If you judge strictly by the clothing and the facial hair, he is in vogue for the 1840's but men have never really been huge followers of fashion have they? More so older men.













On to the woman. Her hair is parted in the middle and tight to the head. No braids, ribbons, combs or decorations of any kind. That gives me nothing to work on.

If you look at her clothing you will see that her sleeves are starting to puff out at the top. This started in the 1890's or so and I found almost identical sleeves in the fashion plates of September, 1893. The gathers are on the same plates. None of the plates however have the women wearing jewelry. If you look down towards the bottom of the image you will see the chain of a pocket watch or possibly some other form of jewelry.

Timeframe: I basically said all that to say I haven't a clue when this picture was taken. Due to the lack of any solid information and conflicting clues my best guess is in the 1890's but pretty much anything is possible.